58 What if?
Part 58 What if...?
Khushi could not understand what was there in Arnav's mind. He was doing everything upside down to what he said. Didn't know why did he speak about sending her out of RM. What Sara aunty told about him was true. He was a man of tactics. That was why even lawyers ran behind him it seemed. Where would he take her tomorrow? She thought but she didn't get anything. Didn't know how long she would be living in this uncertain life...! She sighed.
Dinner table
The table was unusually silent. Arnav was the one who broke the silence.
"Di, I think we should start searching for a groom for Lavanya..." He said.
Lavanya got a hiccup. Arnav forwarded a glass of water to her. Talking it from him, she gulped it in a go.
"Groom? No way..." She said hurriedly.
"Why?"
"I just completed my graduation, Bhai. What so urgent?"
"Urgent? Look at your friend Khushi... She is married. You are the same age as her..."
"Bhai, her story is different..."
"What do you mean different? Would not she have liked to enjoy her life? Is she a saint or what?"
All of them got stuck. Arnav looked at Khushi.
"Didn't you have any dream about your future, Khushi?"
Khushi was certainly dumbfounded.
"You study well... Want to work... Then what made you marry so earlier? Didn't you like to enjoy your life as Lavanya does?"
Khushi didn't know what to say. She ran her eyes on Raizadas.
"Ok... leave it... sometimes, we could not understand some things that why it happened to us" Arnav said.
"Why are you saying so Chotte? Did you experience something like that?" Nani asked curiously.
"Yes, Nani... you are my people... telling about it won't harm I suppose"
All of them spared a glance.
"I don't know if you guys will believe it or not ( he chuckled softly) I had a crush on a girl," Arnav said and Khushi looked at him shockingly.
All the eyes were rooted on her and she bowed down. Arnav had a crush on a girl? That means, he accepted this wedding only because of the circumstance? Khushi thought.
"I met her before I met with an accident. I like her at the first sight. She was not like other girls... she looked so fragile yet so strong..."
Khushi closed her eyes distraught. Raizadas were watching her including Arnav.
"Do you know how and where I met her? I was on the way to AR that day. A fruit seller missed his balance and fell down on the road. The apples from his basket straggled all over the road" Arnav narrated, noticing Khushi whose expression was changing a little by little.
"No one was helping him... I thought to get out of the car to help the man. But before I did that, a girl came to the center of the road and stopped the vehicles showing her hand bravely"
Khushi looked at him unbelievably.
"She looked like a ROSE for outlook but she must be gutful from inside. Or else, how could she do something that no one thought to do?"
"Then?" Shyam asked.
"The fruit seller started collecting the fruits and she helped him. After that, she crossed the road and got vanished quickly"
"Who was she?"
"How do I know? I wanted to know about her but I was in the hurry to go to AR. Exactly the third day, I was attacked. But, before that, whenever I crossed the place, I searched for the girl"
Khushi was stunned... he met her before the accident? Really?
Raizadas misunderstood the shock on her face. They thought she was shocked, to hear Arnav's crush story.
"Didn't you meet her again?" Shyam asked.
"At that time, I didn't get a chance to meet her... but recently, I met her"
That made everyone horror-struck.
"Did you meet her again?" Anjali asked stammering.
"Yes, Di... she is as same as before... same naïve and same guts"
"Did... did you talk to her?"
"Yeah, of course... how won't I be? After all, she is the only girl I liked in my life..."
Anjali gulped her tears. What had she done? Was Arnav in love with another girl? What could she do now? How could she tell him that 'you are married?' Anjali shivered inwardly. It seemed Panditji's words would come true. If he was in love with another girl, how could he accept Khushi? Didn't she know about Arnav? He won't compromise anything for anyone.
Arnav was reading everyone's expressions one by one. Only Khushi looked relieved... all the others were in different turmoil. Shyam was looking at suffocating Anjali silently. Whereas Lavanya and Nani looked helpless.
Arnav knew his uncertainty was confusing Khushi. She was thinking that Arnav accepted her only because she was his wife, and the most important matter was, their marriage was also not a legal one. That would have made Khushi insecure. So, he thought she would be delighted if she got to know he liked her even before his accident. That was what he did. At the same time, he wanted to make Anjali and his family understand the blunder they have done in the name of marriage. Though he liked Khushi he was not fine with making her marry him... correction... buying her for him. He wanted Anjali to understand how wrong her decision could go...
Here... it happened.
Khushi faced a hard time, not no show her joy on her face. After finishing dinner, Arnav went to his room. In no time, Khushi left her plate unfinished. No one had the gut to ask her to eat..., especially Anjali. Tears rolled down her eyes.
"This is why I was against their marriage from the beginning. What are you going to do now? I pleaded with you not to do that... you listened to no one" Lavanya said disappointedly.
Anjali rushed to her room, crying. Shyam followed her. Nani stood up and Lavanya clutched her hand. Nani looked at Lavanya.
"I don't care, whatever the outcome will be, I'm going, to tell the truth to Bhai," Lavanya said.
Nani nodded ok.
"We will talk to Chotte tomorrow"
"Why not now?"
"He is in the dreamland now... it won't be wise to enter in it, now... let him get normal" Nani said.
Lavanya nodded ok and went to her room. Khushi who heard that huffed in relief and came to Arnav's room. She saw his room door half open. She entered in without knocking and didn't find Arnav in the room. She heard a cough sound from behind. She saw Arnav leaning on the wall, folding his hands.
"Do you know I will come to your room?" she asked.
Arnav nodded yes.
"I know something too..."
"What?"
"You will come into my arms this time... unlike before" he spread his hands.
In no time, Khushi rushed to his arms and hugged him tightly. Arnav reciprocated it with the same zeal.
"Did you really like me?"
"Like hell..."
She snuggled more into his chest.
"What did you say, I should fight for you? I would have fought for you even though you had not married me. (Arnav pressed his lips on her forehead passionately. Khushi looked at him raising her head.) If it is so, how won't I be not fighting to get my wife??? Mmm?"
"Why are you making everyone restless?"
"They should know what mistake they have done... they should know the seriousness of the matter. How could they get you married to the mind without thinking of the consequence? See, how many possibilities are there to upset us? Just because Di can spend money, could she do anything or what?"
"But, she did that for your betterment only..."
"What if I don't like you? What if I had loved someone already? What if I want to marry the girl I loved? What would be your condition? What will be my condition if I accepted you for my family? Do you think our life would have been happy? No, Khushi. Of course, I'm grateful to my sister for the love she has for me. At the same time, her love is what pushed me into hell. I just am trying to put some sense in their brains... that's all"
Khushi again pressed her head on his chest.
"Ok, you go to your room"
She again looked at him raising her head.
"We will have to go somewhere tomorrow... go"
She nodded ok and broke the hug.
"Good night" he smiled.
"Good night"
"Khushi, don't be so submissive"
"Means?"
"Means, you can say, I won't go to my room but will stay with you," he said with a lopsided smile.
Khushi blushed and about to rush, he pulled her back to him and hugged her tightly.
"Arnavji, let me go"
"What if I don't?"
"What if anyone comes?"
"Let them come... I will put a full stop to everything"
"You can put full stop anytime if you want"
"I will... very soon..."
"Ok now, let me go"
"If you want to go, bribe me"
"Bribe?"
"Yeah..." he smirked.
She kissed his cheek.
"Madam, I'm not a mind to get cheated with a simple puppy kiss"
Khushi dropped her jaw and composed herself.
"Who said a mentally ill guy can be cheated with a simple puppy kiss?" she asked, playing with his shirt button.
This time, Arnav dropped his jaw.
"What does that mean? Have we shared lip lock too?"
"Not LOCK... but yes" she buried her face in his chest.
"What the... really?" he pulled her back from his chest.
She nodded yes.
"He never hesitated to kiss me no matter where we were... with whom we were..." she chuckled.
"Damn... how did you handle me Khushi?"
"Only I know how hard it had been..."
"Then?"
"then what?"
"Tell me, what else I did"
"It's a big story... I will tell you later... now go to sleep"
He clutched her hand tight.
"Kiss me and then you can go" he demanded.
"Arnavji..."
"Do you want me to kiss you in front of everyone?"
She nodded no hurriedly.
"Then, do it now"
She sighed, closing her eyes.
"You have a great experience... unlike me... come on..." he pulled her close to him.
Khushi cupped his face and brushed his lips with hers. After that, the inexperienced person scored high marks than Khushi.
To be continued...
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